Will Blizzard half-ass the new character models?

[OzoAndIndi]

I doubt i would be that way with redone models, but even if it starts with limited options now, they could always go back and add to it, preferably including a facelift option at the barber (though would make more sense at some first aid trainer locations..).

[Deleted]

Well, they did say they wanted our characters to look the same, didn't they?

They meant they want the new models to look like the old models, just better-looking. If you look at a Gnome, it should still look like a Gnome.

[hrugner]

They meant they want the new models to look like the old models, just better-looking. If you look at a Gnome, it should still look like a Gnome.

Sorry, I should have used the "one liner" font. I wasn't being serious.

[Ralo]

You guys also have to keep in mind in the character creation video, the image quality isn't all that great, so you cant see a lot of the details in the character textures. It'll stand out more and look better when you them in higher quality.

[Deleted]

I think you're kinda missing the point. Look at the Pandaren female's face, then look at any of the vanilla faces. The Pandaren female and, to an extent the male, changes absolutely nothing but her markings. The other races change eye shape, position, mouth size, angle as well as the basic markings/wrinkling changes.

exactly, this is what i was trying to get across.

[Choptimus]

Probably.

Features recently implemented:
Transmog - took ages before weapon types were allowed to be changed (half assed).
Pokemans - couldn't even see people battling them, nothing as interesting as an arena somewhere for people to arrange matches (gurubashi arena anybody?) or a weekly player driven tournament like the fishing one? Just a few NPCs to fight. I don't even like Pokemans in my WoW but they could have done A LOT MORE with this feature (half assed).
Flex Raids - ANOTHER copy of the same instance but slightly different, yay. Would have actually enjoyed some NEW content, not the same thing but slightly less retarded than LFR. It's pretty insulting to casuals in my opinion. How about making something ya'know, new, and not exactly the same as the other difficulties (which there are PLENTY of) oh yeah it's because it would cost too much, lol. (half assed and greedy!).


The future:
Why not take the leap into mounted combat using the tech from quests like The Drakkensryd from back in Wrath?
It would take months of work to feel decent and not hacked in like it was in the (overall awesome) Drakkenryd quest.

From a blue, months of work for a feature that is printed on the WOTLK box is too much work for a company making such ridiculous ammounts of money. Yep.

Half assed, greedy, boring.

[Maoli]

Well, judging from the animations at blizzcon I don't see why the faces would all be the same. The face changes a LOT on these new models when they do emotes. It shouldn't be difficult to put in different looks.

[Boxilot]

I will enjoy the higher definition of my characters. But compared to what I was expecting, compared to what they could have done by working just bit by bit all these years that the game raked in so much cash, compared to what is being done by so many other games, lots of which are not even role-playing games!; yeah, they don't seem to have done much of a great job in advancing character customization, just "Now In HD"-ing the existing models. And with them talking about including an option to keep your current model for performance reasons, it is not even a matter of fearing to infuriate players by taking away the familiarity of their characters, They could have kept the older models for whoever opted to keep them and offered some genuinely evolved new character models.

I must say I agree with this bit. The new models is what I'm looking the most forward to in WoD, without a doubt, but Blizz could have done a hell of a better job. At least after modern expectations. Then again they are working on a quite old engine, and they have to keep it in line with the look of the rest of the game, which is old and cartoony, even after the new upgrades. THAT said I think they easily could have kept the old cartoony look and yet managed to add more options. How long haven't we asked for tattoos? Wildhammer skins for dwarves and brown skin for orcs etc? More hair, more beard, more and cooler tusks. Look at Vol'jin's adorned tusks. Options like that with marks and rings should be for all trolls as well.

Now, we might yet see all of those options. And I really hope so. Any update is a good update, in my opinion. And I'd much rather see this overhaul than yet another halfassed race.

[-Superman-]

exactly, this is what i was trying to get across.

They are Panda bears. Most bears look completely identical aside from the fur. Besides, 9 years from now, they will get an upgrade and have more customization. The important thing is classic toons will no longer look Hanna Barbera. They will actually look more Transformers Prime.

[7seti]

This is a very valid concern. It does seem that the more detailed the underlying model becomes, the less effort is put into customisation. I know there's only going to be one face model per race/gender, but it seriously can't be that hard to give us variation in the textures.

The male pandaren aren't that bad, although they do vary less than some of the vanilla races. The females, though? I don't see how you can call that anything but pure laziness.

Nice gifs, by the way. They really illustrate the problem.

They are Panda bears. Most bears look completely identical aside from the fur.

So do wolves. That didn't stop the male worgen getting a decent range of faces (albeit few of them). There's no reason why an animal-like race needs to look like a clone army: you can still vary the features, have young faces, old faces, fierce or kindly ones.

[Deleted]

Here's a great post by Grinresh I found on the official forums:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/to...271?page=7#134

The difference between the old models and the new models is like blank mannequin:



and a bust of Julius Caesar:



If you start with a very generic mannequin, you could paint any sort of face you want on it. But if you start with a statue of a very specific person, you're going to have a much harder time painting on a different face. It's a consequence of a more detailed model, you can't make as big a variety of people just through texture work anymore.

That's acceptable for me, I'd prefer the higher resolution version even if there's some loss of individuality. But I understand that it's a deal breaker for a certain segment of the population.

Unfortunetely it basically confirms my worries. While each race will have an amazing "base" model, the different faces will not be able to be transferred easily, because of the complexity of the model. The eye, mouth, eyebrow, nose and other facial features will be determined by the model itself, allowing for great facial expressions but drastically limiting the possibility of customizing the textures.
All they can really do is add scars, warpaint, markings, change the eye color. Basically the same thing they did with the Pandaren.

There's a strong possibility (unless they alter the face model for each facial option, and that seems like a LOT of work) that we will have a war of clones with nothing but little scars and wrinkles distinguishing them from one another.

Lack of customization seems to be the price to pay for ONE universally good look for each race/gender.
Say goodbye to your angry looking gnome/scary undead because after the update they will all more or less share the same basic look.

[Uvwaex]

Yeah lala old models were the same mesh with different paiting, right, but you could see that all faces looked completly different, if the new model faces will all be the same with only different wrinkles they should just not have done anything..

Yeah, everyone does play with their camera on their face. That inch of pixels is the most important and immersive one in the game!

[Deleted]

let's hope they get the boobs right.

[Vightnic]

Here's a great post by Grinresh I found on the official forums:
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/to...271?page=7#134




Unfortunetely it basically confirms my worries. While each race will have an amazing "base" model, the different faces will not be able to be transferred easily, because of the complexity of the model. The eye, mouth, eyebrow, nose and other facial features will be determined by the model itself, allowing for great facial expressions but drastically limiting the possibility of customizing the textures.
All they can really do is add scars, warpaint, markings, change the eye color. Basically the same thing they did with the Pandaren.

There's a strong possibility (unless they alter the face model for each facial option, and that seems like a LOT of work) that we will have a war of clones with nothing but little scars and wrinkles distinguishing them from one another.

Lack of customization seems to be the price to pay for ONE universally good look for each race/gender.
Say goodbye to your angry looking gnome/scary undead because after the update they will all more or less share the same basic look.

This... is really unfortunate. I think I'd rather wait longer and have them work on individual faces. I would think it wouldn't be quite as much work, because you aren't completely starting from scratch, you really only need one body but different faces.

[KungFuFanta]

I wouldn't be surprised if blizzard did this. They'd probably answer with something like "don't like it? don't play it", like they did in reply to people asking if there'd be free character appearance respecs. I'd actually love for 90% of the population stopping playing when they see the lack of face customization, to see their arrogant faces changes to "ooooooooooooooooooooooh shit".

[stomination]

I honestly cant remember the last time i payed attention to my characters face while i was questing raiding pvping using the ah or just afking in a major city.

[KungFuFanta]

I honestly cant remember the last time i payed attention to my characters face while i was questing raiding pvping using the ah or just afking in a major city.

Oh, ok, so you wouldn't mind at all if your only choice for character face was this, mister passive aggressive man?



- - - Updated - - -

Probably.

Features recently implemented:
Transmog - took ages before weapon types were allowed to be changed (half assed).
Pokemans - couldn't even see people battling them, nothing as interesting as an arena somewhere for people to arrange matches (gurubashi arena anybody?) or a weekly player driven tournament like the fishing one? Just a few NPCs to fight. I don't even like Pokemans in my WoW but they could have done A LOT MORE with this feature (half assed).
Flex Raids - ANOTHER copy of the same instance but slightly different, yay. Would have actually enjoyed some NEW content, not the same thing but slightly less retarded than LFR. It's pretty insulting to casuals in my opinion. How about making something ya'know, new, and not exactly the same as the other difficulties (which there are PLENTY of) oh yeah it's because it would cost too much, lol. (half assed and greedy!).


The future:
Why not take the leap into mounted combat using the tech from quests like The Drakkensryd from back in Wrath?
It would take months of work to feel decent and not hacked in like it was in the (overall awesome) Drakkenryd quest.

From a blue, months of work for a feature that is printed on the WOTLK box is too much work for a company making such ridiculous ammounts of money. Yep.

Half assed, greedy, boring.

Yeah I still chuckle sometimes at the picture and text of Gnomish Flying Machines in WG on the WOTLK box which were removed after beta.

[StrayFox]

Oh god, another one of these threads. No, the faces will be different. The reason why Pandas, Worgen, and even Tauren look so similar is because they are animalistic, if you change the face shape too much they wouldn't look like the animal. lets say you customize your cats face, they have two face options normal feline face with a protruding face and a smashed face. Other than that its just patterns and features (scars, piercings, etc)

Animalistic faces are basically just a texture change, Blizzard will make sure the faces have multiple options.

THE BEST EXAMPLE OF FACE CHANGES is Goblins, new models, different faces. They have ear and nose options and the faces looks different. Don't worry.

[Transmigration]

This is a good topic. It also shows how overrated the new models are. In reality a new race would be so much more interesting than upgraded models.

Cool opinion dude

[tangers58]

Probably, that is just how things are run at Blizzard these days. Copy and paste outland zones, stick on some trees and call it "new"... take the boss from last expansion, stick him on Draenor, call it "new"